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RAWA is the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, the organisation which with great courage first awakened the world to the horrors being experienced by the Afghan people, and particularly women, at the hands of the Taliban. It was RAWA who in 1999 smuggled out the horrifying video of women being executed in the football stadium in Kabul.

This is their statement on the 12th anniversary of the US invasion of Afghanistan.

Independence, the first condition for the prosperity of our homeland and people

On the twelfth anniversary of the US occupation of Afghanistan

With the aggression of the US and NATO occupiers on October 7, 2001 in our homeland, it has been twelve years now that our country is facing war, destruction, and the killing of thousands of its innocent civilians. The US used the terrorist attacks of 9/11 as a pretext to change the regime in Afghanistan and pave the way for its long-term military presence in the region. For the first time in their history, Afghanistan’s people, who were tired and fed up from the crimes of the Jehadi pigs and the brutalities of the Taliban, did not react to an occupier force.

The US government and its allies promised our people democracy, but imposed upon them the most undemocratic, corrupt, and mafia government of our history; they spoke of ‘war on terror’ but brought the murderers and terrorists of the Northern Alliance, gun-lords and drug kingpins to power, and have now extended their hands in friendship to the Taliban; the US used human rights and women’s rights as an excuse, but Afghanistan still faces the worse kinds of human rights violations and horrifying catastrophes against its women; they promised our people liberation and freedom, but practically turned our country into a narco-state and the center of their longest-running criminal war.

From the very start, the democratic forces of Afghanistan and peace-loving elements of the world had recognized the US’s war in Afghanistan as part of its imperialist policies. They announced that that this superpower was only invading Afghanistan to compete with its emerging contenders and was cementing its military bases in the heart of Asia towards this purpose.

Twelve years of our country’s occupation proves the validity of this prediction. In these years, not only did the justice-seeking people of the US and world protest against the war, but a significant number of soldiers also stood up against their government’s inhumane and hypocritical policies, and started a vast and glorious anti-war movement.

The people of Afghanistan soon noticed the false nature of the US and NATO’s ‘war on terror’, when against their demand, the criminal Taliban terrorists were replaced with the misogynist terrorist gangs of the Northern Alliance. In addition to providing staunch support to the Jehadi and technocrat traitors, the US has taken the service of a group of intellectual sellouts, and have created a band of lackeys out of them by stuffing Dollars down their filthy throats. If in the past, being on the payroll of a foreign country was seen as treachery and disgrace, today this group has become so shameless and devoid of conscience that they proudly flaunt off their servitude to the US and other foreign intelligences. Karzai and those surrounding him, confessed, in an unseen blatant fashion, that they took bags of Dollars from the CIA, Vavak, MI6, RAW, ISI and others, and branded them as ‘useful’ so that their masters would continue pouring in money. The so-called Jehadi leaders have also tied themselves on the leashes of foreign countries and continue to demolish our country at their orders. This way, Afghanistan has practically become the battlefield of the intelligence services of superpowers and neighboring countries. The threat to our sovereignty and national assets grows with each passing day.

After bringing calamity upon Afghanistan and its people, the US informed the world of the withdrawal of its forces in 2014, and started a widespread propaganda that without the US presence, Afghanistan will sink into crisis and a civil war. With this false propaganda through tens of media channels, the US is manipulating and threatening the public sentiment, and trying to get the puppet Karzai government to sign the strategic pact – which would guarantee the US’s long-term presence – as soon as possible. All the reactionary forces and a group of mercenary intellectuals know that their very existence depends upon this pact and are begging for it to go through, so they can escape our people and the claws of justice under the protective wing of their military master. But the progressive and independence-seeking forces and elements of our country and all the intellectuals with a conscience, who know the bullying and fascist nature of the ruling US system, see the permanent bases not only as a threat to Afghanistan but to the region and the world, and protest against them. In an interview with Waging Nonviolence, Noam Chomsky said about this pact, “This is a global program of world militarization.”

What is definite is the fact that the people of Afghanistan did not see good times before 2014 and will surely not so after it. This is because, contrary to the claims of the rulers in the White House, no naïve person will accept that the US will stop its ominous intervention in Afghanistan. Even if the US soldiers are physically withdrawn, their ambitious spies and stooges will still be in power in Afghanistan and will only bring more destruction upon the country.

It is clear that the situation will get worse after 2014, but not because of the withdrawal of the troops of the criminal US and NATO, but because the Taliban and Gulbuddini murderers will join the circle of other criminals who have been backed by the US and Karzai for many years now. Even now, the installation of the Gulbuddini rascals in important posts of the government and presidential palace has led to outrage and hatred from the people.

For imperialist powers, the tears and blood of the poor world has no value. The Afghan nation is not the only victim of the vicious, warmonger, and plundering policies of the US and its allies. The treacherous support of the US given to the Al-Qaeda terrorists and other savage gangs in Syria and Libya and the reduction of these two countries to ruins and center of terrorism, has again proved the falsity of the US ‘war on terror’. The anti-people Bashar al-Assad regime should be obliterated but not by or through the war machine of the US. It is the people of Syria who should decide their future. What the people of Afghanistan painfully experienced in the past decades is today happening in Syria.

What Afghanistan and other countries experienced, shows that no nation can prosper with a foreign occupation and the military presence of a bullying and murderous superpower. A land with no independence cannot have democracy, freedom, elections, human rights, and other values, and shall only be a fake showpiece of these. Our ancestors were aware of this reality and never fell for the deceit of foreign invaders and their indigenous mercenaries. The English army suffered defeat at the hands of the Afghan warriors three times; the Russians and their traitorous Khalq and Parcham regime could not break our people’s will with all their prisons and torture and finally suffered a humiliating defeat. Similarly, today the only way to liberate ourselves from these cruelties and slavery is by resolute struggle against invaders and their Afghan hyenas.

The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) will continue its struggle for the independence of the country and annihilation of the domination of national traitors and murderers, together with its blood-drenched and captive people. We have faith that the attainment of independence, freedom, democracy, social justice, and other values is only possible by the selfless resistance and struggle of our masses. Thus, it is upon all the patriotic and honorable forces and elements to struggle, at any level possible, for the emancipation of our land from foreign occupiers and their lackeys, and perform their conscionable duty towards their homeland.

Like this:

Lindsey German 31 December 2013. Posted in News

Lindsey German, Stop the War convenor, looks at the state of play in 2014 between the war-makers and those who give voice to the majority opinion that opposes their war policies

• We should recognise the importance of the vote in the British parliament which opposed immediate direct intervention in Syria. It marked a turning point in modern British history. The fact that former government minister Alistair Burt now claims that Britain can only intervene in Gibraltar and the Falklands/Malvinas shows what a blow this was to Britain’s tradition of following behind the US in its imperialist projects. The vote itself shows the continued legacy of Iraq, and the role of the anti-war movement in forming public opinion.

•US Imperialism is a wounded and decaying beast, but this makes it all the more dangerous, particularly in a world where it is beginning to be challenged economically and militarily by other major powers, especially China. The ‘pivot to the Pacific’ where the US gears itself up militarily in order to confront its rivals, is already leading to major tensions in the region, as we saw in November with the conflict over airspace between China on the one hand and Japan and the US on the other. This rivalry is also being played out in Korea.

• The terrible situation in Syria, where a number of foreign powers are intervening in the civil war, can be a presage of the future, with ‘domestic’ wars spilling over into international conflicts. This is already happening in the Middle East and parts of Africa, and these ‘proxy wars’ have the potential to become much larger conflicts.

• The 100th anniversary of the first world war in 2014 will dominate the news. The government and its allies want to use the anniversary to highlight and promote the role of the military in society. Various ‘revisionist’ historians are arguing that this was a war for democratic freedom, despite the evidence that it is was an imperial war between rival powers, highly industrialised, which ended in revolution and major social change because of revulsion at its consequences. Our argument is that there is No Glory in War and we will be joining with all those wanting to promote peace and to remember what the war was really about. The role of imperialism has only grown since then, and as the Economist recently pointed out, prospects for a similar world conflagration, with even greater consequences, are by no means remote.

• The government’s attempt to rehabilitate the military is extending to promoting ‘military values’ in schools. Anti-war campaigners and teachers should oppose such moves, arguing that children should learn the truth about war.

• There are still tens of thousands of Nato troops in Afghanistan, and even though the proposed withdrawal date is the end of 2014, many troops and bases are proposed to remain, further prolonging a conflict which has lasted longer than the first and second world wars put together, and which has not been about helping the Afghan people, but about strategic control of the region. The rivalry with China and Russia makes the need for this western control even greater. All troops and bases must leave now.

• Drone warfare has become an increasingly serious part of modern war. Its use is recognition of the failure of ‘boots on the ground’ wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. So now increasing numbers are killed by remote control. Drones are being directed from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, and there will be further protests against them in the New Year.

• The constraints of austerity do not apply to war, where money is always available for the latest adventure. While people are suffering benefit cuts, a privatised NHS, worsening public transport and infrastructure and cuts in their living standards, billions are being spent on Trident replacement, and the cost to Britain of the Afghan war alone is £4-5 billion a year.

• The arms dealers who help make the world such a dangerous place are central to the British economy and are regularly seen accompanying Cameron on trips to various repressive regimes. We should argue for a different set of priorities: British industry should not be based on weapons of war but on production of goods that people actually need.

• The war on terror has failed in its stated aim, to eradicate terrorism and to make the world a safer place. Instead terrorism has spread to many countries, and the war has failed to find any political solution.

• Alongside the war on terror have gone attacks on civil liberties, and a growth in anti Muslim racism. Guantanamo remains open and rendition continues. Any opposition to war needs to also oppose Islamophobia and reduction in our rights to organise and protest.

• The Chilcot report on the Iraq war is due to make its belated appearance in the New Year. It is our chance to demand a holding to account of Tony Blair, Jack Straw and the rest who took us to war in Iraq based on lies. There should be full disclosure of all secret documents and an indictment of Blair.

• We should do all we can to oppose imperialism and war, strengthening the anti war and peace movements and recognising that war is hardwired into neoliberal economic policies which are devastating our welfare and public services. Our campaigns against one should also be against the other.